Page 1 of Rescued

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CAIMBRIE

“What do you have for me today?” General Lackey hissed, his strange, bony fingers brushing against my arm and making my skin crawl.

I hated when he checked up on me, and not just because I disliked being micromanaged. After General Chemkov had been killed by some kind of rogue creature on a scientific mission, General Lackey had been appointed to the head of research and development. At first, I held out hope that the new General would be less creepy than the last guy, but my hopes were dashed the first time he entered the work room and he turned nearly giddy at the sight of all of us women. Since then, every time I looked his direction, I found him staring at one of us, licking his lips and leering.

Lately, General Lackey found any excuse to talk to me, often standing over my shoulder and breathing down my neck as he asked countless questions about my work. Soon, his hovering turned more nefarious, resting one hand on my shoulder while he watched me, and then his other hand came to rest on my other shoulder. Each time it happened, I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, but he never let up. It was like he enjoyed making me squirm, knowing that I couldn’t escape, and I hated him for it.

“Nothing has changed, sir,” I answered, not bothering to hide the irritation in my voice.

“We are waiting on your results, female. We do not have time for you to waste.”

His fingers pressed into my shoulders, kneading my skin until I winced under the pressure.

“I know, sir. I’m working as fast as I can.”

He made a strangled noise, something like a cluck of disappointment and a disbelieving laugh.

“If you are unable to complete the task in a timely manner, we will find other uses for you.”

I shuddered under his touch.

“This is your last warning, Caimbrie.”

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to cry or vomit. Everything about the man was revolting, and for some reason, he had taken a particular interest in me. I closed my eyes and took deep breaths through my nose, reminding myself to stay calm until he left, but those seconds felt like hours. Finally, some kind of bell rang near the General’s desk, and he scurried away to deal with it.

I let my breath out through my nose, shaking off the vile feel of his presence. I lowered my head and went back to my work, sifting through the endless reports, searching for the missing key to all of our problems. Well, all oftheirproblems.

Before I was taken by these creatures, I had been working on solving the relative inefficiencies of solar-powered cells, but here, they needed me to create a whole new type of power cell that could be easily recharged, even when their ships were far from the nearest star. That was why they had me chained to this desk, working day after day with no hope of rescue.

I had been aboard this ship so long that I had lost count of the days and weeks, and even quit wondering if my colleagues on Earth still worried about me. After all, I had just disappeared one day. Had they tried to find me? Or were the costs of recovering a body from deep space too high?

I didn’t want to think about it.

General Lackey’s voice had gone up a notch as he answered the phone. He seemed displeased. Not that I had ever actually seen him looking pleased. I looked cautiously over my shoulder, curious as to what had him so perturbed, but instantly regretted it when he caught my eyes and his eyes narrowed at me. Shit. I turned back around and flipped through the papers hurriedly, looking for anything that might save me.

A second later, I heard the pronounced click of General Lackey slamming the receiver down on his desk, and the clomp of his shoes as he approached me once more.

“Caimbrie. You are coming with me,” he hissed, and his fingers gripped my wrist, lifting it so he could release the shackles that held me to my workstation.

“Wait,” I protested. “I really think I’m getting close. You don’t want to interrupt me now!”

I did not want to go wherever Lackey was trying to take me. I tried to pull my arm out of his grip, but his fingers tightened further, and I felt a numbness travel up to my elbow and then my shoulder, making my arm go weak.

“Do not fight me, human.”

I tried to relax, to think clearly, but the floor heaved, and a raucous boom reverberated through the walls. I was thrown out of my chair, still dangling from the shackles by one arm, my shoulder wrenched painfully sideways as I tried to get back up. General Lackey’s eyes were fiery as he frantically punched at the keys on the shackles to release me.

Suddenly, I was free, and he was pulling me to my feet.

“Come. Follow me.”

I looked back over my shoulder at the other women, still trapped at their workstations, but the General gave me no time to consider my options. He shoved me down a narrow hallway and through the first door on the left, slammed it hard behind us and pushed me toward the large desk in the corner.

He pointed at the small space beneath the desk.

“On the ground. Hide,” he instructed.

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